- 5/9/2025
David Muir reports from Vatican City on the historic conclave ritual underway with 133 cardinals closed off from the world,
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00:00Tonight, the breaking news here at the Vatican.
00:04The smoke rising from the chimney at the Sistine Chapel.
00:07Also breaking for the second time in just days.
00:10Another $70 million U.S. fighter jet falling into the sea.
00:14First tonight, the eyes of the world on the Sistine Chapel.
00:17The image is late today.
00:19The first signal from inside the chapel.
00:21Tens of thousands packing into St. Peter's Square.
00:24The cardinals sworn to secrecy.
00:26The doors of the chapel closed.
00:28Tonight, how long will it take?
00:30What we know so far and what played out inside the Sistine Chapel late today.
00:34Also tonight, a $70 million American fighter jet plunging into the Red Sea.
00:39While trying to land on the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier.
00:42The pilots pulled from the water.
00:44And just days ago, another fighter jet falling from that same carrier sinking into the sea.
00:49Martha Rabbits with new reporting tonight.
00:52The verdict late today in a case that sparked nationwide protests.
00:55Three former police officers charged on the beating death of Tyree Nichols after he ran away from a traffic stop.
01:01What the jury decided.
01:03Tonight, Ford now saying it will raise prices on some vehicles pointing to the president's tariffs and the growing costs involved.
01:10And the new warning from the Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell tonight saying if President Trump's tariffs remain in effect, what could happen to the U.S. economy?
01:18The major change if you plan to fly.
01:21Real ID is now in effect.
01:23Did you update your driver's license and how this is going so far?
01:27Tonight, the suspect charged with stalking after allegedly crashing through the gate of Jennifer Aniston's home.
01:32What those who know him have now revealed.
01:35In New York City tonight, the young actor from Boardwalk Empire at Dawson's Creek and the alarming new charges.
01:41The horrific alligator attack, a husband and wife canoeing, the alligator knocking the woman into the water.
01:47Authorities say the husband tried to fight off the alligator.
01:50The dangerous storms were tracking tonight up to 10 inches of rain from Louisiana to Florida expected.
01:56And the heavy rain moving into the northeast over the next 48 hours.
02:00And the image right here behind us today at the Vatican and what we suddenly heard right here in St. Peter's Square.
02:06From ABC News, this is ABC World News Tonight with David Muir reporting tonight from the Vatican.
02:19Good evening tonight from the Vatican where we witness the historic ritual begin today, the secret conclave to elect a new pope.
02:25And tonight, the first signal from the Sistine Chapel.
02:28Just before 9 p.m. local time, black smoke was seen coming from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel signaling no new pope.
02:34The first vote of the conclave and no cardinal securing the two-thirds majority needed to become pope.
02:39Some three hours earlier, we saw the 133 cardinal electors walk slowly to the Sistine Chapel, chanting the litany of the saints,
02:47asking the saints to pray for them in this moment as they choose the next leader of the 2,000-year-old church.
02:53And then one by one, they stood at the center of the chapel offering a solemn vow of secrecy with their hand on an open book of the Gospels.
03:00Then the final order delivered in that chapel before the doors were closed, the words extra omnes, Latin for everyone out.
03:07Everyone except the cardinals who will vote, told to leave the room for good.
03:11And tonight, when that black smoke appeared, tens of thousands in St. Peter's Square erupting in applause.
03:17Even though there was no new pope, they knew they had witnessed history, this first vote, this first step inside the Sistine Chapel.
03:24Tonight, the cardinals are now sequestered at their residence, no cell phones, no newspapers, no computers, no television.
03:30They'll vote again tomorrow in the morning and again in the afternoon, and they'll keep going day after day until one of them in that room becomes pope.
03:40The closing of the doors of the Sistine Chapel inside the 133 cardinals, who will decide the next leader of the Catholic Church, closed off from the rest of the world until one of the men in that room is elected the next pope.
03:57The Swiss Guard outside the chapel.
04:00The day began with a mass at St. Peter's Basilica.
04:03The cardinals giving up their cell phones, any contact with the outside world.
04:07The airwaves in the Vatican have been jammed to prevent communication.
04:11New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan posting this video before the day began.
04:16Buongiorno a tutti. Cardinal Timothy Dolan here, and I'm about ready to go into the Dome of Santa Marta.
04:23So this could be the last time I talk to you in a couple of days. I don't know how long the conclave will be.
04:28As Cardinal Dolan and the other electors prepare for the Sistine Chapel.
04:32We leave here and go over to the Sistine Chapel every day for our prayers and for our voting, but this is where we reside.
04:40So folks, I won't be able to talk to you until you see the white smoke.
04:45In the late afternoon here, the cardinals beginning a ritual that dates back centuries.
04:50The procession from the Pauline Chapel to the Sistine Chapel.
04:54All in their red robes, their choir dress, their most formal attire as they enter the Sistine Chapel.
05:00Chanting the litany of the saints.
05:04Asking the saints to pray for them in this moment.
05:09The cardinals are from more than 70 countries, the most diverse conclave in modern times,
05:14and the largest number of voting cardinals in the church's 2,000-year history.
05:22The cardinals chanting, Ora pro nobis, pray for us.
05:29The cardinals then entering the Sistine Chapel, walking up to the altar and bowing.
05:33Then taking their seats at tables lining the chapel.
05:37They sit in the shadow of Michelangelo's last judgment.
05:40Each cardinal assigned a specific seat.
05:47Cardinal Pietro Peraline, the Secretary of State under Pope Francis,
05:50and one of several contenders to become the next pope,
05:53leading the cardinals in an oath of secrecy,
05:56and vowing to not let their vote be swayed by external influences.
06:00Each cardinal then approaching the altar on their own,
06:05placing their hand on the Gospels, stating their name, and saying,
06:08I do so promise, pledge, and swear to uphold their sacred duty.
06:12So help me God.
06:14The weight of the moment on their faces.
06:17Among them, ten cardinals from the United States.
06:22Cardinal Robert Prevost, born in Chicago.
06:24Cardinal Michael Harvey, born in Milwaukee.
06:26Cardinal Joseph Tobin, once a mechanic,
06:29now the Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey.
06:32And then Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York.
06:37There was Cardinal Charles Wongbo, the first-ever Cardinal from Myanmar,
06:41named by Pope Francis.
06:43Cardinal Louis Antonio Tagli from the Philippines.
06:46Some have now called him the Asian Francis.
06:49For his warmth and humanity, he is considered a contender here as well.
06:53Cardinal Peter Erdu of Hungary, considered more conservative, also a potential pope.
06:59Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Archbishop of Bologna, Italy, who rides his bicycle everywhere,
07:05considered a street priest, much like Francis.
07:08And Cardinal Pierre Battista Pizzaballa, the first Cardinal of Jerusalem, named by Pope Francis.
07:14All of them are contenders.
07:16And after each one of them pledges secrecy in the Sistine Chapel,
07:20the famous order before the voting begins.
07:23Monsignor Diego Ravelli giving the order extra omnis.
07:27Extra omnis.
07:30Latin, for everybody out.
07:32Those who are not electors, leaving the chapel, and the doors are closed.
07:43This conclave will be like no other.
07:45133 Cardinals voting, all under the age of 80.
07:48The majority, 80% of them, appointed by Pope Francis.
07:52They come from every corner of the world, 71 different countries,
07:55the largest and most diverse conclave in recent times.
07:58The youngest Cardinal, 45.
08:00The oldest will turn 80 next week.
08:03They will cast secret ballots up to four times a day.
08:06Two votes in the morning, two votes in the afternoon.
08:09And a two-thirds majority is needed to elect a new pope.
08:13And late today here, one by one behind closed doors, each Cardinal voting for the first time.
08:20As part of the ancient ritual, they disguise their handwriting.
08:23And on a ballot that says, I elect a Supreme Pontiff, they then write in the name of one of their peers in that room,
08:30folding the ballot twice and walking it to an urn at the front of the chapel.
08:35Three hours after those doors closed, the black smoke, no pope.
08:41We're coming back on the air live from Vatican City.
08:43Let's go right to the live picture right now from St. Peter's Square.
08:46You can hear the cheers erupting, the applause.
08:48That's simply because we have our first signal from the Sistine Chapel,
08:52the black smoke signaling that there is not a new pope as of yet.
08:57Witnessing history unfold, the cheers, the swell of emotion at that first sign of smoke.
09:04Tens of thousands of people came out to see that first smoke today,
09:07even though history tells us that it is extraordinarily rare that there would be a new pope elected on day one of the conclave.
09:14But they came anyway with their eyes trained on that chimney waiting for the smoke.
09:19We met sisters from across the U.S. who lead their congregations from Ohio to Texas, from New York to Michigan.
09:26And they were moved by that first sign of smoke.
09:30We loved Pope Francis and we just, we really want someone who will be a very good shepherd for our church.
09:37You're hoping that the next pope will follow in Francis' mold.
09:40Absolutely, yes.
09:41His love of the poor, his embodiment of the gospel.
09:44Yes.
09:45Their trip was planned even before the conclave, but they are grateful to have witnessed this first step.
09:51That's a lot of weight on these cardinals and on the next pope.
09:54Yes, it is true.
09:56But I can tell, you're hopeful.
09:57Yes, we are.
09:58Very hopeful.
09:59But if it was done by sisters, it wouldn't have been three hours a day.
10:01That's right.
10:04And we met Denise Washington, originally from New York, who wanted to be here.
10:09What do you make of the energy in the crowd?
10:11And did you think it even transcends the Catholic Church?
10:14Absolutely, absolutely.
10:15How so?
10:16Because I'm not Catholic.
10:17And there are a number of people who are not Catholic that were in the crowd with Pope Francis.
10:21A lot of people see him as someone who is relatable.
10:25And that is what so many people around the world really admire.
10:29An extraordinary sight for the tens of thousands gathered here.
10:32And by the way, they have two stoves inside the Sistine Chapel.
10:35One to burn the ballots after the votes.
10:37The other, they burn chemicals to produce that white or black smoke.
10:40They want to make sure people watching can discern the difference because there has been confusion in the past.
10:45Again, the white smoke signals a new pope and will be here until we see it.
10:50In the meantime, the other news tonight and to a stunning accident.
10:53The second one in just days at a U.S. aircraft carrier, a $70 million American fighter jet,
10:58has plunged into the Red Sea while trying to land on the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier.
11:03The pilots rescued from the water.
11:05And it comes just days after another fighter jet fell from that same carrier sinking into the sea.
11:10Here's Martha Raddatz.
11:12Tonight, in a seemingly unprecedented series of mishaps on a U.S. aircraft carrier,
11:19another $70 million fighter jet plunging into the Red Sea, the fourth major incident in just months.
11:27This latest mishap occurring when the pilot of an F-18 Super Hornet was attempting a nighttime tailhook landing on the USS Truman,
11:37but the jet ended up falling off the end of the flight deck instead.
11:40Both pilots ejecting, a rescue helicopter pulling them out of the water with only minor injuries.
11:47Just eight days ago, another F-18 fell off the Truman as the jet was being towed.
11:52A third F-18 from the Truman was accidentally shot down by one of the other U.S. warships in the carrier strike group near the beginning of the deployment.
12:02And in February, the carrier collided with a cargo ship causing significant damage.
12:09David, the Navy already fired the first commander of the Truman.
12:12These latest mishaps could mean the same for the commander's replacement.
12:16David?
12:17Martha Raddatz with us tonight.
12:18Martha, thank you.
12:19Now that the verdict laid today at a case that sparked nationwide protests back in the U.S.,
12:24three former Memphis police officers charged in state court in the beating death of Tyree Nichols after he ran away from a traffic stop.
12:31They have been found not guilty.
12:32Let's get right to Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas with us tonight.
12:35Pierre?
12:36David, those three former officers still faced sentencing on those federal civil rights convictions tied to the death of Tyree Nichols.
12:43But today, that state jury believed a defense argument that those officers specifically did not deliver the kind of blows that would have killed Nichols,
12:51whose beating was caught on the police body cameras.
12:54It was a beating so vicious that some compared it to the brutality cases of Rodney King and George Floyd.
13:00Today, those former officers relieved, seen here embracing in court.
13:04But tonight, the Nichols family is devastated.
13:07Two other officers who prosecutors believe delivered the majority of blows that killed Nichols previously had pled guilty to state and federal charges.
13:16Such a horrible case.
13:17But tonight, the criminal trials tied to Nichols are now over.
13:21David?
13:22Pierre Thomas with us tonight.
13:25Pierre, thank you.
13:26We turn next this evening to the economy, and tonight, Ford now says it will raise prices on some vehicles,
13:31pointing to President Trump's tariffs and the new warning here from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell about the U.S. economy.
13:37Mary Bruce at the White House.
13:40Tonight, a grim warning from the chairman of the Federal Reserve on what Americans should be bracing for if President Trump's trade war drags on.
13:48If the large increases in tariffs that have been announced are sustained, they're likely to generate a rise in inflation, a slowdown in economic growth and an increase in unemployment.
13:58Today, Ford telling dealers it will soon raise prices on three of its cars by as much as $2,000, citing, quote, some tariffs we are facing.
14:07Ford says Trump's tariffs could cost the company $1.5 billion in profits.
14:13And it comes after GM reported it could see its own profits plunge by $5 billion.
14:18This is the impact of the president's 145 percent tariffs on products imported by China is being seen at the port of Los Angeles,
14:26where the number of cargo ships arriving is down 32 percent.
14:30Chinese and American officials expected to meet for the first time this weekend in Switzerland.
14:34China says in order to have substantive negotiations, you have to bring down your 145 percent tariffs.
14:39Are you open to pulling back your tariffs in order to get China to the negotiating table?
14:43No.
14:44On Capitol Hill, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant pressed on how these tariffs will impact young families.
14:50More than 70 percent of baby products like car seats and strollers are manufactured in China.
14:55By one estimate, prices could rise 30 percent.
14:58Yes or no.
14:59Do you support an exemption to tariffs on items that parents need to care for their babies?
15:04It is under consideration.
15:05But when we took that question to the president, he brushed off the idea.
15:09The Treasury Secretary just told lawmakers that a tariff exemption for certain baby items like car seats is under consideration.
15:16Will you exempt some products that families rely on?
15:19I don't know. I'll think about it. I don't know. I really don't.
15:21Are you concerned?
15:22I want to make it nice and simple. I'm not looking to have so many exemptions that nobody knows what's doing.
15:28And again, David, that's stern warning tonight from the Fed chair.
15:32But there is also other news here to report.
15:34President Trump tonight withdrawing his pick for Surgeon General Dr. Jeanette Neshewat on the eve of her confirmation hearing amid pushback from far-right activists like Laura Loomer,
15:43who criticized her for being pro-vaccine.
15:45Instead, the president is nominating Dr. Casey Means.
15:48She's a holistic medicine specialist with ties close to Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.
15:53David.
15:54Mary Bruce at the White House tonight. Mary, thank you.
15:57Next tonight, to the alarming crash in front of actor Jennifer Aniston's home.
16:01Tonight, the suspect has now been charged with stalking.
16:04Here's Trevor Ault.
16:06Tonight, authorities charging 48-year-old Jimmy Wayne Carwile with felony stalking and felony vandalism,
16:12holding him without bond for allegedly ramming his gray Chrysler PT Cruiser through the gate to Jennifer Aniston's house.
16:19The suspect in LA is on the ground out of the vehicle.
16:23The suspect that drove the vehicle through the front gate.
16:26Police in Los Angeles swarming the home of one of the biggest celebrities in the world.
16:30The gate is possibly bent when we come around.
16:33Security pinning Carwile to the ground.
16:36Officials say they believe he targeted Aniston's home intentionally.
16:40Authorities now searching for a motive, looking at his social media, where they say he's posted dozens of disturbing posts about Aniston going back at least a year.
16:49Carwile was originally from Mississippi.
16:51His childhood friend Marty Merritt says during the pandemic, he changed.
16:56Jimmy went from being a good, average, hardworking, loving family man to a person that no one could recognize anymore.
17:06And David, there's so far been no comment from Jennifer Aniston or her team.
17:10David.
17:11We're all with us tonight.
17:12Trevor, thank you.
17:13Now to the major change.
17:14If you plan to fly in the U.S.
17:15Real ID is now in effect.
17:17At airports across the nation, passengers now required to show their security enhanced IDs at TSA checkpoints.
17:22Either a new federally compliant driver's license or state ID card, all of it called Real ID.
17:28The TSA saying most travelers are arriving prepared with their new Real ID or their passport.
17:34Those who are not are going through additional screening.
17:37So far, they are being allowed to fly.
17:39When we come back here tonight, the horrific alligator attack, a husband and wife canoeing,
17:43the alligator knocking them out of that canoe into the water, the husband trying to save his wife.
17:48Also tonight, a well-known actor from Boardwalk Empire in Dawson's Creek.
17:52And the alarming new allegations tonight in a moment.
17:56Tonight, Florida wildlife officials are investigating a deadly alligator attack south of Orlando.
18:01Authorities say a husband and wife were knocked into the water when their canoe drifted over a large gator.
18:06The wife landing on top of the alligator and pulled under, her husband trying to save her.
18:11She did not survive.
18:12Tonight, actor Michael Pitt is facing charges for alleged sexual abuse in New York City.
18:16Best known for his roles in Boardwalk Empire and Dawson's Creek.
18:19He's accused of sex abuse, assault, and strangulation stemming from alleged incidents in 2020 and 2021.
18:25His attorney says Pitt and the alleged victim were in a consensual relationship.
18:29Pitt has pleaded not guilty.
18:31When we come back here tonight, we're tracking major storms, 10 inches of rain in some places,
18:35and then the heavy rain headed to the northeast in a moment.
18:38To the index now.
18:41Tonight, we're tracking a flash flood threat across multiple states.
18:44A flood watch in effect from eastern Texas all the way to Mississippi, New Orleans, at a significant risk.
18:49Up to 10 inches of rain from Louisiana to Florida to the Carolinas right into next week.
18:54Also heavy rain in parts of the northeast tomorrow and Friday.
18:58For the first time in 15 years, Disney is developing a new global theme park.
19:03It will be Disney's seventh park, this time located in Abu Dhabi, the first Disney park in the Middle East.
19:08CEO Bob Iger tonight calling it the most technologically advanced theme park that we've ever built.
19:13Disney, of course, is the parent company of ABC.
19:16When we come back here tonight, what we saw right behind us here today, and then what we heard right here in St. Peter's Square.
19:24Before we go tonight, for all of the beauty and splendor here in the ancient city of Rome,
19:28the eyes of the world were instead trained on something else today, the makeshift chimney installed above the Sistine Chapel.
19:34High up above St. Peter's Square here today, we saw the black smoke pouring from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.
19:39The first vote, the first signal, the Cardinals did not reach a two-thirds majority to select a new pope.
19:44Not since the year 1503 have they chosen a pope on the first vote.
19:48Tens of thousands failed to square anyway today, witnessing this first step.
19:52The applause is thunderous.
19:54We'll be back on the air, first sign of smoke tomorrow from the chapel, white or black.
19:58I'm David Muir. I'll see you then. Good night.
20:01Thank you for making World News Tonight with David Muir, America's most watched newscast.
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